#i have many thoughts about sabatini

[ducavalentinos]

How would you rate Sabatini's biography on Cesare? I love it, but I wondered if you had any other (English) recommendations? Also take a shot everyone Sabatini interrupts his narrative to talk about how hot Cesare was sfhttjjggj

I think as far as Cesare bios goes, I’d rate his biography 7/10. I have conflicted feelings with Sabatini’s work, because I love his writing style, his sense of humour is great, it matched mine right away, and he has such a genius way of pointing out the hypocrisy and double standards applied to the Borgia family. He cleverly shows how much of the Borgia myths and general accusations thrown their way are connected to politics (shocker!) and to their Spaniard, and less nobly origins. Not to mention how he exposes the historical bias against Cesare, and general dishonesty with him, from primary sources to modern historians such as Gregorovius, that paragraph Sabatini wrote about him was truly a moment in the Borgia historical literature for me, I'm glad he said it. I just wish he hadn't fallen so hard for the Machiavellian Prince archetype about Cesare. The more I re-read his work, the more it becomes clear to me he took Machiavelli’s writings about Cesare at face value, fell in love with the image presented by him, and then proceeded (whether consciously or unconsciously) to apply this interpretation, one that has its limitations and flaws on their own, to all the facets of Cesare’s character, and all the other aspects of his life lol, which resulted in this too strict, robot-like persona. There is no nuance, no deepth to Cesare’s Sabatini, he exists only as the stoic, unscrupulous, unfeeling Machiavellian Prince. It’s a mistake I see being made time and again by most of Cesare’s biographers, many who follow Sabatini too blindly, or just Borgia biographers in general tbh, but Sabatini’s bio acutely illustrates this particular issue better than the other bios I’ve read I think, (with the exception perhaps of Beuf’s “work”, who somehow managed to outdone Sabatini in this Machiavellian presentation of Cesare, taking it to new extremes with super dramatic and misleading writing, for the most part). And you know, I always get the impression Sabatini had his own conflicted feelings in regards to The Prince, and its clear-headed, pragmatic politics. He seemed to admired it and feel repulsed by it at the time. And those mixed feelings sometimes ended up leaking into his view and writing about Cesare and some historical events, and what he believed had happened (e.g., the take of Urbino), and I find that very interesting. In any case, the point is: Sabatini’s Cesare is unrealistic, and it constantly enters into conflict with what Sabatini also presents as evidence for his history. I mean, he insists throughout the book in reaffirming Cesare was a utter egoist, cold man. Only moved by his ambition and thirst for power. He was incapable of kindness, or of being considerate with others, of feeling compassion, without ulterior motives involved. All of his actions were always calculated to only serve his own interests. Everyone around him were pawns to be used and discarded when they were no longer of any use to him. We are to believe he was a cynic, a block of ice, essentially. We are also to believe he never had genuine emotional bonds with anyone, much less with women. Women were interchangeble to him. Sabatini was convinced he was a man incapable of having a sentimental side, of loving or of having any connection with them beyond the physical aspect. But then, in between chapters, sometimes pages, he also tell us how Cesare seems to have deeply grieved the death of his cousin, Giovanni Borgia, whom he refers as Mio Fatre in his letters. He gives an honest, if quick, account about the marriage and relationship between Cesare and Charlotte d’Albret, in which Cesare’s obvious feelings for her can be seen, as well as his kindness and respect towards her. Sabatini admits the evidence shows they may well have loved each other, and that when leaving Charlotte in charge of all his affairs in France, as the governor and administrator of his lands and lorships there, as well as his heiress in case of his death, Cesare shows “his esteem of her and the confidence he reposed in her mental qualities.” And of Cesare’s policies and behavior as its ruler in the Romagna, it reaches a point where his mere self-interest doesn’t quite alone explain his relationship with this romagnese subjects and many of his decisions. It undermines Sabatini’s claim that it was for show and for his political gain. Last but not least, what is one supposed to make of the hypothesis he posits to the what I like to call, the Dorotea affair? This event is the peak of his contradiction and his mental gymnastics, because to be sure, his hypothesis is not far-fetched. I will concede I thought it was the first I read his bio. But over the years, between carefully separating fiction from history and reading other sources, then going back to his bio, I recognized his hypothesis is one of the plausible ones, certainly more plausible than the official sensationalistic narrative of Cesare simply abducting the innocent maiden Dorotea out on a whim, to satisfy his lust, (the fact Borgia scholars  are still repeating this narrative with a straight face is beyond my comprehension), I can see Cesare doing what he proposes, it def. aligns better with my understanding of him, and all the historical material I’ve read about him and his times, however, this hypothesis is completely irreconcilable with Sabatini’s Cesare. So, he says one thing, then he says another that’s incompatible with the first thing he said, and then proceeds to show evidence that either puts into doubt or confirms the opposite of his characterization of Cesare. And that’s only considering the historical info he dedided to include in his bio. If he had included some of the info Alvisi presents in his Duca di Romagna, a work he must have checked out, if not read it all, given one of the languages he spoke was Italian, and Alvisi’s bio is the best and most authoritative historical work made to date about Cesare and his life, I believe he would have struggled a lot more than he did. It just seems like he enters into a trap of his own making. Turning an already difficult task more difficult than it needs to be, honestly. Ironically, his stance is as messy and contradictory as the aforementioned Gregorovius in his Lucrezia Borgia, where you also have two Cesare(s): the one he sees and wants to present versus the one that emerges from the his own writing at times and historical material he himself exposes it. Overall, his work frustrates on some fronts, and I think it could have been better. It has its faults, some the typical faults/vices fond in Borgia biographies, others very much his own, but nevertheless I have a fondness for his bio which I do not share with others bios on Cesare, or the Borgia family. It is the only bio in the English language I find myself reading again and again, and the one I would put it first as better, or more decent, in this language about Cesare. I admire his honesty, and his bravery in challenging a little bit of Cesare’s dark legend, and the baseless accusations attached to his name. I appreciate what he tried to do, the very least of what I expect from a serious historian when dealing with figures as infamous in popular imagination as Cesare and Rodrigo Borgia. There is no denying his work was one of the main works which advanced Cesare’s historical literature, and the approach to his figure. Moving slightly from the literary, colorful, villain-like character of the Italian Renaissance, towards starting to be more seriously studied as a historical figure properly. And oh my god, yes, interrupting the narrative to talk about how hot Cesare was. It’s funny you mentioned that, because I don’t remember him doing that so much (time for a re-read!), but that's one of the characteristics of the Borgian/Cesarean historical literature heh. I’m yet to read a bio where authors do not feel the need to take a moment to talk about how hot he was, some even a poetic way lol, it’s so amusing, and always the one thing I know I will agree with them, if nothing else. Also, I think Borgia bios have huge potential for drinking games! Like: take a shot of tequila every time Cesare gets badmouthed for no reason, or baselessly asserted guilty of questionable murders, fratricide, rape, and abduction. Or when Juan and Cesare envied and hated each other narrative is repeated. Or when Guicciardini, Sanuto, Cappello and Giustinian are uncritically used as credible sources for Rodrigo and Cesare. Every time Lucrezia gets painted as the Good Borgia, the pretty, passive doll who was the helpless victim of the terrible Borgia men. Or when authors get uncomfortably shippy with the Cesare/Lucrezia relationship resulting in exaggerated claims such as: Lucrezia was Cesare’s only exception, or they were unusually close as siblings, etc. And of course, whenever Cesare’s hotness and allure has to be talked about dsjdsjsj, the list is long, and I think it will get you drunk very quickly. I know I couldn’t keep up back when I was reading Sacerdote’s bio, and I was drinking wine so. As for recs in the English language, I would say Woodward’s bio has its value in terms of sources and historical documents. I also think his analysis about politics, about Cesare’s goverment in the Romagna, and also concerning the conclave of 1503 are generally good. His last five, four chapters are the best ones imo, so if you are interested in these points I mentioned, it might be worth checking out. I would just open a caveat saying that as far as a biography about the person of Cesare Borgia is concerned, it is weak and to be read with a grain of salt. I was mostly unimpressive by his work on that front, and I thought about quitting time and again. He likes presenting himself as the impartial historian, (a big red flag that only makes me twice as cautious when reading any historical work) writing in a mostly sober tone, but of course like all scholars, all people, he has his bias, and they do come to surface from time to time. He displays an peculiar antipathy and ill will towards Cesare at times, which leads to harsh, confusing, unsubstantiated claims about his character and some of the events about his life. In contrast, you can see he is more benevolent and fair towards Rodrigo Borgia, and a constant thought I had while reading his bio was that he obviously chose the wrong Borgia to write a bio on. Had he chose Rodrigo as his Borgia subject, I believe we would have had a pretty good bio about him and his papacy.

[neocab]

Translating the Cyberpunk Future

I'm a video game translator, and I love my job. It's odd work, sometimes stressful, sometimes bewildering, but it always provides interesting and inspiring challenges. Every project brings new words, slang, and cultural trends to discover, but translating also forces me to reflect on language itself. Each job also comes with its own unique set of problems to solve. Some have an exact solution that can be found in grammar or dictionaries, but others require a more... creative approach.

Sometimes, the language we’re translating from uses forms and expressions that simply have no equivalent in the language we’re translating to. To bridge such gaps, a translator must sometimes invent (or circumvent), but most importantly they must understand. Language is ever in flux. It’s an eternal cultural battleground that evolves with the lightning speed of society itself. A single word can hurt a minority, give shape to a new concept, or even win an election. It is humanity’s most powerful weapon, especially in the Internet Age, and I always feel the full weight of responsibility to use it in an informed manner.

One of my go-to ways for explaining the deep complexity of translation is the relationship between gender (masculine and feminine) and grammar. For example, in English this is a simple sentence:

"You are fantastic!"

Pretty basic, right? Easy to translate, no? NOT AT ALL!

Once you render it into a gendered language like Italian, all its facets, its potential meanings, break down like shards.

Sei fantastico! (Singular and masculine)

Sei fantastica! (Singular and feminine)

Siete fantastici! (Plural and masculine)

Siete fantastiche! (Plural and feminine)

If we were translating a movie, selecting the correct translation wouldn't be a big deal. Just like in real life, one look at the speakers would clear out the ambiguity in the English text. Video game translation, however, is a different beast where visual cues or even context is a luxury, especially if a game is still in development. Not only that, but the very nature of many games makes it simply impossible to define clearly who is being addressed in a specific line, even when development has ended. Take an open world title, for example, where characters have whole sets of lines that may be addressed indifferently to single males or females or groups (mixed or not) within a context we don't know and can't control.

In the course of my career as a translator, time and time again this has led into one of the most heated linguistic debates of the past few years: the usage of the they/them pronoun. When I was in grade school, I was taught that they/them acted as the third person plural pronoun, the equivalent of the Italian pronoun "essi." Recently, though, it has established itself as the third person singular neutral, both in written and spoken English. Basically, when we don't know whether we're talking about a he/him or a she/her, we use they/them. In this way, despite the criticism of purists, the English language has brilliantly solved all cases of uncertainty and ambiguity. For instance:

“Somebody forgot their backpack at the party.”

Thanks to the use of the pronoun "their," this sentence does not attribute a specific gender to the person who has forgotten the backpack at the party. It covers all the bases. Smooth, right? Within the LGBT circles, those who don’t recognize themselves in gender binarism have also adopted the use of they/them. Practically speaking, the neutral they/them pronoun is a powerful tool, serving both linguistic accuracy and language inclusiveness. There's just one minor issue: We have no "neutral pronouns" in Italian.

It's quite the opposite, if anything! In our language, gender informs practically everything, from adjectives to verbs. On top of that, masculine is the default gender in case of ambiguity or uncertainty. For instance:

Two male kids > Due bambini

Two female kids > Due bambine

One male kid and one female kid > Due bambini

In the field of translation, this is a major problem that often requires us to find elaborate turns of phrase or different word choices to avoid gender connotations when English maintains ambiguity. As a professional, it’s not only a matter of accuracy but also an aesthetic issue. In a video game, when a character refers to someone using the wrong gender connotation, the illusion of realism is broken. My colleagues and I have been navigating these pitfalls for years as best we can. Have you ever wondered why one of the most common Italian insults in video games is "pezzo di merda"? That's right. "Stronzo" and "bastardo" give a gender connotation, while "pezzo di merda" does not.

A few months ago, together with the Gloc team, I had the pleasure of working on the translation of Neo Cab, a video game set in a not too distant future with a cyberpunk and dystopian backdrop (and, sadly, a very plausible one). The main character is Lina, a cabbie of the "gig economy," who drives for a hypothetical future Uber in a big city during a time of deep social unrest. The story is told mainly through her conversation with the many clients she picks up in her taxi. When the game’s developers gave us the reference materials for our localization, they specified that one of the client characters was "non-binary" and that Lina respectfully uses the neutral "they/them" pronoun when she converses with them.

"Use neutral pronouns or whatever their equivalent is in your language," we were told.

I remember my Skype chat with the rest of the team. What a naive request on the client's part! Neutral pronouns? It would be lovely, but we don't have those in Italian! So what do we do now? The go-to solution in these cases is to use masculine pronouns, but such a workaround would sacrifice part of Lina’s character and the nuance of one of the interactions the game relies on to tell the story. Sad, no? It was the only reasonable choice grammatically-speaking, but also a lazy and ill-inspired one. So what were we to do? Perhaps there was another option...

Faced with losing such an important aspect of Lina’s personality, we decided to forge ahead with a new approach. We had the opportunity to do something different, and we felt like we had to do the character justice. In a game that's completely based on dialogue, such details are crucial. What's more, the game's cyberpunk setting gave us the perfect excuse to experiment and innovate. Language evolves, so why not try to imagine a future where Italian has expanded to include a neutral pronoun in everyday conversations? It might sound a bit weird, sure, but cyberpunk literature has always employed such gimmicks. And rather than take away from a character, we could actually enrich the narrative universe with an act of "world building" instead.

After contacting the developers, who enthusiastically approved of our proposal, we started working on creating a neutral pronoun for our language. But how to go about that was a question in itself. We began by studying essays on the subject, like Alma Sabatini's Raccomandazioni per un uso non sessista della lingua italiana (Recommendations for a non-sexist usage of the Italian language). We also analyzed the solutions currently adopted by some activists, like the use of asterisks, "x," and "u."

Siamo tutt* bellissim*.

Siamo tuttx bellissimx.

Siamo tuttu bellissimu.

I’d seen examples of this on signs before, but it had always seemed to me that asterisks and such were not meant to be a solution, but rather a way to highlight the issue and start a discourse on something that's deeply ingrained in our language. For our cyberpunk future, we wanted a solution that was more readable and pronounceable, so we thought we might use schwa (ə), the mid central vowel sound. What does it sound like? Quite familiar to an English speaker, it's the most common vowel sound. Standard Italian doesn’t have it, but having been separated into smaller countries for most of its history, Italy has an extraordinary variety of regional languages (“dialetti”) and many of them use this sound. We find it in the final "a" of "mammeta" in Neapolitan, for instance (and also in the dialects of Piedmont and Ciociaria, and in several other Romance languages). To pronounce it, with an approximation often seen in other romance languages, an Italian only needs to pretend not to pronounce a word's last vowel.

Schwa was also a perfect choice as a signifier in every possible way. Its central location in phonetics makes it as neutral as possible, and the rolled-over "e" sign "ə" is reminiscent of both a lowercase "a" (the most common feminine ending vowel in Italian) and of an unfinished "o" (the masculine equivalent). The result is:

Siamo tuttə bellissimə.

Not a perfect solution, perhaps, but eminently plausible in a futuristic cyberpunk setting. The player/reader need only look at the context and interactions to figure it out. The fact that we have no "ə" on our keyboards is easily solved with a smartphone system upgrade, and though the pronunciation may be difficult, gender-neutrals wouldn't come up often in spoken language. Indeed, neutral alternatives are most needed in writing, especially in public communication, announcements, and statements. To be extra sure our idea worked as intended and didn't overlook any critical issues, we submitted it to a few LGBT friends, and with their blessing, then sent our translation to the developers.

Fast forward to now, and the game is out. It has some schwas in it, and nobody complained about our proposal for a more inclusive future language. It took us a week to go through half a day's worth of work, but we're happy with the result. Localization is not just translation, it's a creative endeavour, and sometimes it can afford to be somewhat subversive. To sum up the whole affair, I'll let the words of Alma Sabatini wrap things up:

"Language does not simply reflect the society that speaks it, it conditions and limits its thoughts, its imagination, and its social and cultural advancement." — Alma Sabatini

Amen.

[dearrachell-blog]

Madrid, Spain

01/28-02/01

My stay in Madrid flew by to say the least, and it’s crazy to fathom how quickly I fell in love with the city especially in such short duration. The first night Katie, Val and I arrived several hours earlier than the rest of our group, so we checked into our Airbnb and found a nice, authentic restaurant to eat at. My rice dish tasted so good, I will definitely be missing rice throughout my stay as I don’t have a cooker here in Vienna and Asian white rice can rarely if even be found. At dinner, the employees sang feliz cumpleaños to one of their coworkers, and their loving, family-like interactions made my heart happy. Finished dinner off with complimentary palate-cleansing warm green juice shots that were so yummy! 

The next day was jam packed as our entire group woke up early to make the most of our precious time there. Breakfast at Pum Pum Cafe was so nice- would highly recommend the coffee, avocado toast, benedict, and desserts there! We trekked over 25,000 steps this day just walking through the entire city. A few destinations we stopped by were Plaza Mayor, the Royal Palace, Jardines de Sabatini, Mercado de San Miguel, and the Temple of Debod to watch the beautiful sunset. It was incredible to see these sights before my own eyes as I had only seen them through photos and snapchat videos before. Everything seemed to come to life and I fell silent during some parts of the day just in awe of my surroundings. At nighttime, while the rest of my group went to El Tigre, I decided to meet up with one of my friends from home. It was so nice being able to talk openly with Christine and not feel like I had to invent forced conversation every time I opened my mouth. It’s comforting to acknowledge that we’re in similar situations, social-wise, and I’m gradually accepting the fact that it’s alright if I don’t make lifelong friends while I’m here, granted I’ve only met half of our Vienna program thus far. What’s most important is that I make the most of my experience and accomplish all of the things that I want to do while abroad. I’m going to grow very comfortable spending time by myself this semester, and that is perfect okay. Anyways, together we walked around Centro and indulged in delicious gelato from Mistura and churros from Chocolatería San Gines. Will definitely revisit those places later on.

Our second full day in Madrid was also an adventure as we checked off Puerta Del Sol and row-boating through Buen Retiro Park. Having the liberty to go wherever whenever with no rigid agenda has been refreshing and I’m happy to have shared these moments with my new semi-friends. We’re getting there. One of my favorite activities while visiting a new location is just sight-seeting and walking into random stores and sparking conversations with strangers. There doesn’t have to be an exact activity involved, the exploration is enough. For breakfast we ate at La Libre and for lunch, TAKOS, both of which were well worth the wait! In the evening was our much awaited Tapas Crawl!!! Our tour guide, Raúl, was a blast and we were joined by another couple on their honeymoon. I learned that there are more than 2,000 beer taps just within Madrid, and I also learned how to properly test for good red wine. I looked at our second glass of red wine in front of a white napkin, and smelled the aroma of berries, chocolate, leather, nuts, and “bullshit” according to Val hahaha. After 3.5 hours and 5 stops of engorging in authentic tapas and wine, I felt utterly stuffed. My favorite dish would probably have to be the pork belly from our second stop. Ended the crawl with a nice buzz and full stomach. Following this, I wish we would have gone home to settle down and get ready, but we immediately went straight out to Dubliners, where I met up with Cho and Murph (brothers abroad!!!), and then to StarCoyote. I have to admit I was feeling a bit awkward because I didn’t know as many people as the others did I wasn’t dressed for the occasion. The fact that my roommate was much more drunk than I was and trampling all over me was also highkey annoying. The night ended with me and Madeleine sitting on the sidewalk partially sober waiting for our uber home while the others very drunkenly clambered into the first car. It was a memorable night without a doubt and I did meet a few new friends along the way, but I’m starting to recognize who I want to grow closer with and who I am ambivalent about. 

The next morning was sloooow as my Airbnb mates woke up in random intervals, many of whom were hungover messes. But I spent the morning in getting ready and getting my things together as a few others went out to breakfast. I needed the extra hour to spend organizing myself. Half the group left to fly to Seville and the rest of us grabbed lunch and checked into our hostel for the night. I learned that Menu Del Día is not a restaurant, but actually is a deal that various restaurants offer for 11 euro hahaha the more you know! But regardless, the cheese and paella that we shared for lunch that day was so tasty. I took my first siesta later that day after checking into our hostel. While Katie and Val went out to hang out around Centro, I happily hung out with Christine again!! Grabbed Walk to Wok because we were craving Asian food, tracked down the oldest restaurant in the world founded in 1725, Sobrino de Botín, and went shopping along Gran Vía. It felt so comfortable being around genuine company and I litttterally cannot wait until we travel together in the near future.

Note to self: Go to airports early even though in Europe, the check-in and security process isn’t as long as they are in the US. The morning was semi-stressful because we totally disregarded traffic and thought we were going to miss our flight back home to Vienna. But luckily we made it just in time woohoo. Another observation, 3 of the 4 ubers that we took during our stay were Teslas like what the heck bougie!! Apparently the cars aren’t the owners, but are provided by the company. 

There’s so much about Spain that intrigues me. The lifestyle there seems slower paced and the lifestyle surprisingly reminds me of that in Taipei where the convenience of walking everywhere and accessing little stores is evident. At the same time, there is so much preserved culture to be reminisced and explored. I’m unsure if I’m so excited because this was my first abroad trip to a different country, but I definitely plan on revisiting Madrid to tour its other features, from renowned museums to rooftop bars to other areas of the city. Maybe I should have chosen Madrid as my first rather than second choice of host country. But who knows, SEE YOU AGAIN ESPAÑA.

[artemisiasabatiniart]

Bio

Artemisia Sabatini is known today as one of the most well-known female artist of the 90s and 2000s. Her strong, politically charged pieces aim to make the viewer think about the social norms that our society takes for granted. Sabatini is praised for her honesty in-regards to depicting the female form and how that form fits into society. This focus on women’s relationship with the world around them is what pegged Sabatini as a self-proclaimed feminist. Although being a Caucasian female, Sabatini was aware of the injustices that were infecting women from all backgrounds. This self-awareness separated her from the rest of the feminists at the time who mainly focused on the equality of white women, disregarding women of color. 

Now 57, Artemisia lives in both Italy and New York City. She continues to make great works of art and is also a popular public speaker. Artemisia Angelo Sabatini was born on July 20th, 1960, in the province of southern Italy known as Abruzzo.

Sabatini’s mother, Ludovica, was a single mother who raised her only daughter all by herself. Artemisia’s late father, Angelo, never got to meet his baby girl. 5 months before Artemisia was born, a fire broke out in his place of work, a pizza shop, and he was unable to make it out alive. Ludovica, however, was able to provide for her and her daughter even without a husband, which was a great accomplishment for a woman in Italy at this time. Ludovica was a well-known tailor in Abruzzo and created her own business; this shop was a place for women who had no male counterpart to help them financially get a job and provide for themselves and their families. Artemisia has commented on this by saying, “My mother has always been my guiding light. She was the best at what she did and everyone knew it. But she never was cocky or let her accomplishments overwhelm her ego. I grew up dreaming about growing older and being just like my mother; not in every aspect of course, but I prayed that I would inherit her drive, determination and perseverance.” Artemisia spent her childhood not only helping her mother with her business, but also attended first and secondary school. She eventually became known as one of the smartest young adults in her class. In addition to her strong abilities in academics she also showed exceptional talent in the arts. Ludovica was not only a tailor but an artist as well so In addition to Artemisia’s school courses, her mother trained her in the arts. Sabatini has always been open about her sexuality. The artist has made it clear that women should not be ashamed of having lust or feeling sexually liberated. This sexual journey began at the age of 13. She explains this budding sexuality by explaining, “When I was a child, I always loved women. The curves of the women who worked for my mother entranced me when I was just 7 years old. I would see them dressing and undressing and notice myself feeling unusual admiration for their bodies. Of-course these thoughts were to be kept to myself; my mother is a traditional catholic Italian woman; I understand her disdain to free sexuality but I do wish she could understand MY side.” This intense sex drive caused Sabatini to get into a lot of trouble with her mom. However, this conflict never hindered ludovica’s love for her daughter. Although she was traditional, she believed that women should be allowed to have sex before marriage. Artemisia would eventually come out as being a bisexual woman in her famous exhibition “Modern Venus” held at the MoMA in 1995. As she got older, Sabatini realized this fascination with the female form was not only admiration but also lust. When she was 17 Artemisia and her best friend, since childhood, Aurora, started developing feelings for one another. Quickly, their crush turned into full-fledged love. For over a year the two of them dated seriously, but completely in secret. Artemisia has commented on this relationship and has called aurora her “first and favorite muse”. Unfortunately, after graduation from secondary school, On June 30th, 1978, Aurora and her family disappeared without a trace. It was later discovered that her father once had relations with the mafia in Napoli many years prior. This relationship likely caused the disappearance but they have yet to be found. Heartbroken, Artemisia, at the age of 19, in 1979, Artemisia chose Rome as an escape. Rome and the Vatican City were home to works by great masters from the renaissance and Sabatini thought she should channel her sadness into something constructive. So, she decided to venture to Rome and study these masterpieces, hoping to get better at her practice. Thankfully, Artemisia had a cousin who lived in Rome. The two of them lived in a small but comfortable apartment together. Artemisia got a job as a waitress in the restaurant that was below her apartment. She spent her weeks working in the day and sketching at night. And on the weekends, she woke up early and spent almost the whole day drawing; whether it was out in nature or in a museum gallery, Sabatini was determined to improve her artistic skill. In 1982, Sabatini’s paintings were hung up in a local gallery in Rome. After being on display for only 2 months, the artist’s works were already beginning to get recognition from newspapers and art critics in the area. In April of 1983, a well-known Italian-American artist by the name of Alfonso Giotto took interest in Sabatini’s work. He offered her a job back in his studio in New York City. At first, Sabatini was reluctant to leave her home country and most importantly her mother. However, after much contemplation and a heartfelt conversation with her magistrate, Sabatini decided to take the opportunity. Sabatini and Giotto quickly formed a romantic relationship when they arrived in NYC. He respected her individuality and her fiery personality. Giotto helped Sabatini get into the right crowd and gain an audience. After about 2 years as his assistant in his studio, however, Artemisia felt that she needed to focus on her individual work. Although Giotto seemed to be an advanced and understanding man, he found this to be a selfish gesture. He wanted her to stay under his wing instead of out in the open with him in the background. Many found this to be an obvious result of fear; fear that a woman could become as famous as him. This conflict ended with Sabatini and Giotto ending both their work and personal relationships. When living on her own after separating with Giotto, Artemisia created some of her most celebrated pieces. This is when, as she puts it, “I found who I was as an artist. I had always looked up to these male painters and art creators…from Da’Vinci to Warhol, the art scene has always been dominated by men. And when I was finally self-sufficient I realized this truth and so I began really creating what was in my heart, not what was expected of me”. Sabatini had already gained public interest by being associates with Giotto. She used these connections to her advantage and began getting her work, solely her work, out into the art scene in NYC. In 1987, Sabatini showed one of her most controversial pieces, “Does my anatomy offend you, sir?”. This was a 4 foot by 8-foot painting of a nude woman with her organs spilling out; her heart in one hand and her uterus in another. This piece immediately caught the attention of artists and art critics everywhere, due to the sheer honesty and grotesque reality Sabatini was exhibiting. Because of the publicity and overwhelming positive response from this piece, Sabatini was invited to hang it in the MoMA. This sparked a major following for the artist and she quickly became known as one of the only honest female artists of the time.

[gaslampsglow]

odd question, but its an odd hour where i am, so...what are some of your favorite books?

OH jeez.  Ah.  I mentally prepared a short list of favorite films years ago because I got so used to people asking (being in film school at the time) but favorite books is always a problem.  I mean, I’m a nerd on the internet who wears velvet and tweed, and the room I’m in right now has THREE wingback chairs.  I am sitting in one right now, and I am wearing a bathrobe.  I have Too Many Damn Books.

I was going to list a ton of my favorites, but many of them are fairly common (you mean this guy likes The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy?  No way!  He doesn’t reference it three times a day at all)

Instead, here are some books I love that You May Not Have Read.

Captain Blood, Rafael Sabatini.  The Swashbuckler to beat the band.  Adventure!  Romance!  17th Century English Politics!  Reader, your needs are met.  Just keep the wikipedia tab open for the Monmouth Rebellion for the first three chapters.

The Little Sister, Raymond Chandler.  The shortest, fastest, and all around best of Chandler’s Phillip Marlowe novels.  The pinnacle of american hardboiled detective fiction, and Sam Spade can go eat his own ass as far as I’m concerned.  Marlowe’s irreverence, fondness for wordplay, and inability to keep his nose where it belongs have influenced every fictional PI since.

Dreadnaught, Cherie Priest.  Probably the only media property branded as “Steampunk” that I can really enjoy anymore, partially because the book is too fun not to love.  A Brothel Owner who is Secretly A Union Spy and her ex, a Pirate Captain with a Heart of Gold, fight texans/confederates/zombies in a New Orleans swamp for control of Totally-Not-The-USS-Monitor-We-Promise.

The Wolves At Night, Isaac Cannon.  A terrifying true tale of lycanthropy in northern Ohio.  Funny, scary, exhaustively researched, and almost certainly complete bullshit.  Cannon is like Ed Warren, but a better writer, better looking, and jewish.  Oh, and he isn’t played by Patrick Wilson, which is a big plus.  Supposedly a tv show version is on its way, but we’ll see.

Hiding The Elephant, Jim Steinmeyer.  A history of stage magic, as told by one of the best writers on the subject. (Seriously, if anyone loves me, buy me Steinmeyer’s 60 dollar coffee table visual encyclopedia of magic.)  Hiding The Elephant aims to answer the “how did they do that” to one of the most legendary illusions of all time, namely Houdini’s 1918 trick where he made an elephant disappear from the hippodrome.  To get, of course, Steinmeyer has to explain the previous 50 years of smoke and mirrors.

The Westing Game, Ellen Raskin.  Sixteen people, one apartment building, a creepy mansion on a cliff, an incompetent lawyer, a corpse, and $200 million.  To tell you any more would be cheating.  Bonus: there’s a restaurant named “Hoo’s On First.”

Cart and Cwidder, Diana Wynne Jones.  If you’ve ever played a Bard in D&D, and wondered why its the one random basic class that isn’t directly pulled from Tolkien, here you go.  The unsung (ironically) forebear of all your best characters.

Making Friends With Frankenstein, Colin McNaughton.  Pun filled macabre poetry for children.  If you’re reading my tumblr, this is your cup of tea, I promise.

Dragons Dragons, Eric Carle.  My first bestiary as a kid, and one of the most influential books I’ve ever owned.  Clever and beautiful poetry about world mythology, with a really thoughtful afterward and solid suggested further reading.

The 13 Clocks, James Thurber.  Once upon a time, in a gloomy castle on a lonely hill, where there were thirteen clocks that wouldn't go, there lived a cold, aggressive Duke, and his niece, the Princess Saralinda. She was warm in every wind and weather, but he was always cold. His hands were as cold as his smile and almost as cold as his heart. He wore gloves when he was asleep, and he wore gloves when he was awake, which made if difficult for him to pick up pins or coins or the kernels of nuts, or to tear the wings from nightingales. He was six feet four, and forty-six, and even colder than he thought he was.

[therealimintobooks]

His Dirty Demands by Fiona Murphy #BookBlitz #Giveaway

His Dirty Demands Fiona Murphy  Publication date: March 5th 2019 Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance Three billionaire brothers: Cesare, Enzo, and Dante Sabatini have everything except the one thing money can’t buy. Three big beautiful Alicia, Bethany, and Chloe will teach them the ABCs of love. Follow these couples as they negotiate the riskiest deal of all, falling in love. It’s hard to believe when I get the call: an offer to work for one of the Sabatini brothers. Cesare and Dante head a real estate firm that buys, sells, and owns some of the most spectacular real estate in Chicago. Dante Sabatini is the youngest of the brothers, and even though he’s an arrogant manwhore he doesn’t come close to the a$$hole level of the oldest Sabatini, Cesare. While I work for Dante, Cesare is in the office across the hall—and too close for comfort. I’m not sure what misfiring synapse has my stomach flipping a thousand times a minute or my skin hot and tight when the man is around, but I’m doing my best to ignore it. Even if I weren’t a virgin, I’m very aware getting involved with Cesare Sabatini would be a complete disaster. Until the moment I find out Cesare is having the same problem. Seriously? The insanely gorgeous billionaire wants me? My fat ass? Okay, not nice, but I believe in being honest in all things, and honestly I’m a plus-size woman who has become numb to insults I have heard about my weight. I’m far from numb at the idea of throwing caution to the wind and giving in to the dirty demands Cesare whispered in my ear. Then I get a call I never thought I would have to deal with. My little sister is being blackmailed. I need twenty five thousand dollars or her future goes up in flames. I’m borrowing it, I’ll put it right back. When Cesare finds out, he demands twenty-five days and nights of my body. Only once I’m in his home and life, twenty-five days isn’t enough—I want forever. But what does Cesare want? Goodreads / Amazon / Nook / Kobo / Apple Grab it today for only 99¢ for a limited time! Due to commitment issues I have lived in many different cities and my favorite is Chicago but I have managed to settle into Austin and perhaps my commitment issues are behind me. I have enjoyed reading from a very young age and it wasn't long before the children books bored me and I read the books my mother enjoyed Stephen King and Dean Koontz and I didn't sleep without the light on until I was about ten. I came across my first Harlequin by accident and it was love at first read, no one died and happy endings? It was a whole new world and I loved it. I wrote my first story at eight and everyone died, of course. Since then I would like to think I've gotten better and now I'm writing the happily ever afters I first fell in love with, with some hot sex thrown in along the way. As a plus size woman myself, I have started writing the stories I always wanted to see myself in but never did. And now I'm ecstatic to give BBWs the happily ever afters with hot Alphas they so rarely get. Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter a Rafflecopter giveaway ** Remember every month there will be a giveaway for all subscribers. This is going to be a share giveaway offered by I'm Into Books.com so stay connected for full details. You share I giveaway!! ** Please visit us for our current giveaways now at: I'm Into Books.com http://dlvr.it/R0QS4X

[kennethherrerablog]

How This Man Turned a Love of Specialty Coffee Into a $10K/Year Side Hustle

Brendan Smith thought his days of working in the coffee industry were over.

The craft beer and coffee bar he helped set up in Clearwater, Florida, was on life support within a year of opening and eventually closed in 2009. He didn’t want to start another coffee shop from scratch and knew being a full-time barista wasn’t going to cut it.

“I did not see a version of working in coffee that would pay the bills or that would be something that would be sustainable,” he recalls.

In 2015, he got another chance. A friend suggested Smith lead a group on a pub crawl-like tour of the best places to get specialty coffee in St. Petersburg, Florida. The 10 friends on the tour loved it, and Smith realized he was on to something.  

“Between people trying to hand me cash and telling me that their co-workers would really like this, or their friends would really like this, it became very apparent that it was popular enough that I could make it a little business,” Smith, 37, remembers.

A year later, Smith opened St. Petersburg Craft Coffee Tour to the public. He works full time as a quality management supervisor for Jackson Hewitt but spends Saturdays sharing his passion with fellow coffee lovers on guided tours of different coffee shops around the city. It’s grown to become a profitable side gig, earning him around $10,000 a year.

Not Your Dad’s Cup of Joe

While some people scoff at the idea of paying $5 for an espresso, Smith thinks you’re getting more than just coffee with every cup. To him, high-quality coffee is more than just caffeine. It’s an indulgence. An experience.

“Coffee is definitely very trendy right now,” he says. “It’s a very social activity. It’s not as utilitarian as it once was. Going out for coffee is not only a popular thing, but there’s just more and more places to do it that are local and that are doing a great job.”

The craft coffee scene in Tampa Bay has exploded over the last three years, according to Smith. He hopes that people who go on the tour won’t be intimidated to try one of the exotic menu items the next time they walk into one of these establishments.

“[The tours are] pulling the curtain back on how coffee is produced, what quality coffee is and giving them the tools that they need to make really smart decisions about their own coffee when they get home,” he says.

The most significant difference between craft coffee from specialty shops and the coffee sold in grocery stores is freshness. “Coffee is like produce — it doesn’t last forever,” he says. Most coffee in grocery stores is typically four months old, while the beans sold in a craft coffee shop were roasted about four weeks ago.

People have a greater appreciation for quality coffee when they leave, Smith says, adding, “In fact, some people even send me pictures of them throwing out bad coffee after the tour.”

Every Tour Is Different

Around 9 a.m. on a Saturday in July, a group of 13 tired-eyed coffee lovers arrive at the first location on the tour. Many skipped their usual cup of coffee before coming, which Smith jokes is a “dangerous” way to start the day.

One of his goals is to make every tour seamless. “I don’t want a day of going to each shop and getting the same thing, so I make sure it’s a varied experience,” he says. To do so, he regularly changes up the tour schedule to feature different locations and coordinates with shop owners so no one repeats the same activity.  

The first stop is Craft Kafe, where tour-goers enjoy some breakfast and try various cold brew coffees, including the Kyoto drip method. This brewing technique involves coffee slowly dripping out of large glass beakers and curving tubes that resemble something from Frankenstein’s lab.

Smith uses the knowledge he gained from years as a barista, shop manager and consultant to answer people’s coffee questions. He explains how coffee is farmed, the differences between washed processed coffee and naturally processed coffee and what’s unique about different coffee-growing regions around the world.

Between samples, the tour group discuss their thoughts about the brews, how they can taste the different notes and acidity levels, even the emotions evoked while drinking it. “Legitimately, people make friends, and I love that,” says Smith with a smile.

The second stop is Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters for what’s called a “cupping” demonstration, conducted by company sales manager Bryan Martin. Cupping is how buyers and roasters evaluate the quality of the coffee. This is done in three parts: smelling the freshly ground coffee, taking in the aromas after the hot water hits the grounds and a taste test.

Testers slurp up a spoonful of the brew to evaluate the flavor notes and consistency of the batch. “I love to see someone take a confident slurp,” Martin says. Once complete, they spit out the coffee into a paper cup.

Debi McCreary, 62, from Clearwater, Florida, says that during the cupping she can taste the different flavor notes in her mouth. “You never think there can be blueberries or flowers,” she says.

For the final stop, Smith leads the group to Intermezzo, a coffee and cocktail bar, for some coffee-inspired non-alcoholic mocktails. Owner Jarrett Sabatini highlights the non-traditional ways someone can enjoy coffee. He lines up a series of glasses and pours an espresso mint julep, using coffee instead of bourbon. The tour-goers smile from ear to ear as they sip their drinks on a humid day.

At the end of the tour, the patrons thank Smith for everything they learned on the trip. “They’re always very appreciative, and it’s really gratifying,” he says.

Introducing Craft Coffee One Cup at a Time

The shops and roasters featured on the tour are thrilled to be included. They see it as an incredible marketing and outreach opportunity.

Sabatini notes that Smith’s business is unique because coffee tours like his typically only happen in places like New York or Portland, Oregon — not Florida. “Anything I can do to support that, being in the industry, that’s what I’ve got to do,” he says.

“Educating the people is great for our business,” Martin says. “Even if they never buy our coffee again, it’s helping to grow the specialty coffee industry.”

For McCreary, these tours helped to open her coffee horizons. She attended Smith’s first tour in 2015. Back then, she never considered herself a coffee drinker because she couldn’t stand the bitterness of coffee growing up. After the tour, she changed her mind.

“When I tried it, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, coffee is not so bad,’” she proclaimed. “I don’t have to put sugar or any cream in it.” Now she’s open to drinking coffee and has gone on the tour 10 times.

Heading Into the Future

Smith didn’t start St. Petersburg Craft Coffee Tour for the money. “I just wanted to make my coffee habit free,” he jokes. Now he has plenty of opportunities to satisfy his habit. When he first started back in 2016, he led one tour a month — today he averages three per month.

Recently he expanded to hosting tours featuring craft coffee shops in neighboring Tampa and hopes one day to “expand all over” by holding events in different cities. But until then, he’s happy sharing his passion with anyone wanting to learn more about the caffeinated arts.

“It is unbelievable that the thing that I would do for fun on a weekend all the time — show people great coffee shops and teach them about coffee — I can make money at it now,” he says. “It’s really, really great.”

Matt Reinstetle is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder. He’s looking forward to ordering another espresso mint julep in the near future.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.

The Penny Hoarder Promise: We provide accurate, reliable information. Here’s why you can trust us and how we make money.

How This Man Turned a Love of Specialty Coffee Into a $10K/Year Side Hustle published first on https://justinbetreviews.tumblr.com/

[swipestream]

Sensor Sweep: Celtic Fantasy, Donald Wollheim, Creepy Magazine, Hideous Creatures

Popular Culture (Men of Violence): Historical fiction special! Vikings! Roman soldiers! Pirates! Swash-buckling soldiers of fortune!68 pages, all colour, packed with reproductions of rare and unusual paperbacks.Articles, reviews, interviews and features on Casca, Gardner Fox, Henry Treece, Talbot Mundy, Rosemary Sutcliff, Rafael Sabatini and forgotten cover artists.

        Fiction (DMR Books): Awhile back, Dave Ritzlin here at the DMR blog asked me to recommend some good Celtic fantasy fiction. Today being Celtic New Year’s Day, it seemed appropriate to start off the New Year with a list of quality Celtic fiction.

To be honest, I can’t say that I like the vast majority of the fantasy which has been marketed or labeled as “Celtic.” As the late, great Steve Tompkins noted long, long ago, “cheapjack Celticism” has reigned o’er the land of Celtic fantasy since at least the 1980s. Languid, matriarchal tree-huggery tends to be the order of the day in most “Celtic” fiction, with the authors in question either being pig-ignorant of Celtic history and culture or cherry-picking to suit their (boring) take on the subject. 

  Fiction (DMR Books): Don Wollheim died on November 2, 1990, leaving behind him a sword and sorcery legacy that has never been matched. In the rarefied Valhalla of S&S editors/publishers, Wollheim sits enthroned at the high table. He debuted or “broke out”–as in, “their first big splash in the paperback market”–more enduring and important characters in the S&S

  pantheon than any other editor/publisher. It is as simple as that.

  Anime (Walker’s Retreat): Any Space Opera taking queues from Japan will not fail to acknowledge the Macross franchise. Starting in 1982 with Super Dimension Fortress Macross (which many of you known as the most popular part of Robotech), this is the #2 Real Robot franchise in Japan and has been since its debut (following the king that is Gundam). The consistent presence music as a power unto itself, the love triangles that drive the relationships, and their combination in the form of music that has now had inter-generational influence in anison and J-pop (and brought about the rise of Living Goddess Yoko Kanno).

  Lovecraft and Gaming (Yog-Sothoth.com): My latest scrape of the internet reveals that Hideous Creatures: A Bestiary of the Cthulhu Mythos for Trail of Cthulhuhas been released. Kind of. Hideous Creatures… is officially on pre-order at Pelgrane’s web site, but an article comment reveals that you’ll receive the PDF as soon as you place the pre-order for the print edition. – That means it’s out. – The content is there for you to purchase and peruse now; the fact it’s digital bits rather than the 352 page hardback doesn’t alter the content (just the way it may be consumed). If you’re after a new bestiary of Cthulhoid creatures then have a look at Hideous Creatures… Pelgrane promises you something a little different.

Books (Atomic Junk Shop): Your Favorite Book Cover:

Oh my God that is an awful question for someone like me. I can’t decide. It really depends on the genre and the artist and what kind of mood I’m in that day. The best I can do is narrow it down to a few favorite artists. I think the artist that perfectly captured the spirit of the story more than anyone else is Gino d’Achille with his covers for the Edgar Rice Burroughs Mars books.

Fiction (Frontier Partisans): I was in the mood for some fun, for a read that strums the right chords but isn’t related to a project or anything that feels like work. That can be a problem for me. I tend to put way too much weight on my choices of fiction. Pondering this in preparation for Running Iron Report podcasts, I realized that I kind of expect a novel to rock my world, always seeking that visceral hit that I got when I was young and a novel would go to my head like strong wine. Chasing the high and most often finding myself dissatisfied.

It’s why I read very little fiction these days. I really don’t read just for funanymore. And that’s just stupid. I needed to get out of my own way and simply enjoy a yarn.

Over the weekend, I kept running across an author named Jonathan French and a book titled The Grey Bastards.

  Comic Books (Paint Monk): Robert E. Howard is best known, and deservedly so, for Conan of Cimmeria, but he was a prolific author who wrote in several genres. While he arguably created the sword and sorcery tale, he also hammered out a staggering amount of pulp fiction, including westerns, boxing stories, detective yarns, and horror tales.

One of his best horror works was “Out of the Deep”, posthumously published in Magazine of Horror #18in their November 1967 issue.

  Fiction (Tellers of Weird Tales): Before Spider-Man and Superman, before Marvel and DC, even before comic books, there was the word superhero. (1) My hypothesis is that the word and the concept originated in the 1890s, give or take a decade, just as so much of our popular culture originated at that time. In order to test my hypothesis, I have used an online search engine/database/index of newspapers dating to the nineteenth century. I can’t say that the newspaper articles I have found were actually the earliest occurrences in print of the following words. Even if they’re not, my guess is that they’re close, as ideas, concepts, and memes seem to arise at a certain time, often in a certain place, and in a certain society or culture.

  Cinema (Sacnoth’s Scriptorium): John Boorman’s Lord of the Rings

In 1970, The Lord of the Rings was everywhere, its eco-friendly escapism dovetailing neatly with the communal mindset of the post-Woodstock era. A film was inevitable, and rights-holder United Artists turned to John Boorman, a British director with a passion for Arthurian fantasy and – more importantly – a moderate hit under his belt in Point Blank. Joining forces with the young screenwriter Rospo Pallenberg, Boorman turned out a script that covers all three books, runs to 178 pages and is, without question, one of the weirdest documents in existence.

  Comic Books (Pulp Archivist): In 1947’s Writer’s Digest, Stan Lee, then editor of Timely Comics, writes in his “There’s Money in Comics”:

One point which I can’t stress too strongly is: DON’T WRITE DOWN TO YOUR READERS! It is common knowledge that a large portion of comic magazine readers are adults, and the rest of the readers who may be kids are generally pretty sharp characters.

  Comic Books (Paint Monk): Few comics had the impact on me that Creepy did. The first issue I got my hands on was issue 4 of the magazine, dated August of 1965. I hadn’t even been born yet when this issue dropped, but I happened upon it at a flea market we used to visit when I was a kid and remember vividly seeing that Frank Frazetta cover for the first time.

  Gaming (Niche Gamer): Publisher Skybound Games has announced they’ve cancelled the planned physical release of Hollow Knight.

The August-announced retail version of the game is now longer happening. Here’s a statement from Skybound:

“We are saddened to share that we’ll no longer be working with Team Cherry to bring Hollow Knight to new platforms. We absolutely love the game and wish Team Cherry continued success. We look forward to seeing what’s next for them.”

Here’s a rundown on the game:

  Popular Culture (Kairos): Author JD Cowan offers a grim prognosis on the fate of pop culture based on Hollywood’s manifest inability to connect with its audience.

The Predator is a shallow, spiritually dead movie of stolen imagination and rehashed ideas with a message that could only have been thought up by someone too pathetic to grow up beyond adolescence. And it was written by someone who was there when the original film was being made. And not a talentless man, either. He wrote the original two (and best) Lethal Weapon films as well as Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. He knows action and how to give the audience what they want.

    Sensor Sweep: Celtic Fantasy, Donald Wollheim, Creepy Magazine, Hideous Creatures published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

[dorcasrempel]

Restricting a key cellular nutrient could slow tumor growth

Remove tumor cells from a living organism and place them in a dish, and they will multiply even faster than before. The mystery of why this is has long stumped cancer researchers, though many have simply focused on the mutations and chains of molecular reactions that could prompt such a disparity. Now, a group of MIT researchers suggests that the growth limitations in live organisms may stem from a different source: the cell’s environment. More specifically, they found that the amino acid aspartate serves as a key nutrient needed for the “proliferation” or rapid duplication of cancer cells when oxygen is not freely available.

The biologists took cancer cells from various tissue types and engineered them to convert another, more abundant substrate into aspartate using the gene encoding an enzyme from guinea pigs. This had no effect on the cells sitting in a dish, but the same cells implanted into mice engendered tumors that grew faster than ever before. The researchers had increased the cells’ aspartate supply, and in doing so successfully sped up proliferation in a living entity.

“There hasn’t been a lot of thought into what slows tumor growth in terms of the cellular environment, including the sort of food cancer cells need,” says Matthew Vander Heiden, associate professor of biology, associate director of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, and senior author of the study. “For instance, if you’re trying to get to a given destination and I want to slow you down, my best bet is to set up a roadblock at a place on your route where you’d experience a slow-down anyways, like a long traffic light. That’s essentially what we’re interested in here — understanding what nutrients the cell is already lacking that put the brakes on proliferation, and then further limiting those nutrients to inhibit growth even more.”

Lucas Sullivan, a postdoc in Vander Heiden’s lab, is the lead author of the study, which appeared in Nature Cell Biology on June 25.

Building the case for aspartate

Isolating a single factor that could impact tumor growth within an organism is tricky business. One potential candidate came to Sullivan via a paper he co-authored with graduate student Dan Gui in 2015, which asked a somewhat controversial question: Why is it that cells need to consume oxygen through cellular respiration in order to proliferate?

It’s a rather counter-intuitive question, because some scientific literature suggests just the opposite: Cancer cells in an organism (“in vivo”) do not enjoy the same access to oxygen as they would in a dish, and therefore don’t depend on oxygen to produce enough energy to divide. Instead, they switch to a different process, fermentation, that doesn’t require oxygen. But Sullivan and Gui noted that cancer cells do rely on oxygen for another reason: to produce aspartate as a byproduct.

Aspartate, they soon confirmed, does, in fact, play a crucial role in controlling the rate of cancer cell proliferation. In another study one year later, Sullivan and Gui noted that the antidiabetic drug metformin, known to inhibit mitochondria, slowed tumor growth and decreased aspartate levels in cells in vivo. Since mitochondria are key to cellular respiration, Sullivan reasoned that blocking their function in an already oxygen-constrained environment (the tumor) might make cancer cells vulnerable to further suppression of respiration — and aspartate — explaining why metformin seems to have such a strong effect on tumor growth. 

Despite being potentially required for certain amino acids and the synthesis of all four DNA nucleotides, aspartate is already hard to come by, even in oxygen-rich environments. It’s among the lowest concentration amino acids in our blood, and has no way to enter our cells unless a rare protein transporter is present. Precisely why aspartate import is so inefficient remains an evolutionary mystery; one possibility is that its scarcity serves as a “failsafe,” preventing cells from multiplying until they have all the resources to properly do so.

Regardless, the easiest way for cells to get aspartate is not to import it from outside, but rather to make it directly inside, breaking down another amino acid called asparagine to generate it. However, there are very few known mammals that have an enzyme capable of producing aspartate from asparagine — among them, the guinea pig.

Channeling the guinea pig

In the 1950s, a researcher named John Kidd made an accidental discovery. He injected cancer-ridden rats with sera from various animals — rabbits, horses, guinea pigs, and the like — and discovered that guinea pig serum alone shrunk the rats’ tumors. It wasn’t until years later that scientists learned it was an enzyme in the guinea pig blood called guinea pig asparaginase 1 (gpASNase1) that was responsible for this antitumorigenic effect. Today, we know about a host of simpler organisms with similar enzymes, including bacteria and zebrafish. In fact, bacterial asparaginase is approved as a medicine to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia.

Because guinea pigs are mammals and thus have similar metabolisms to our own, the MIT researchers decided to use gpASNase1 to increase aspartate levels in tumors in four different tumor types and ask whether the tumors would grow faster. This was the case for three of the four types: The colon cancer cells, osteosarcoma cells, and mouse pancreatic cancer cells divided more rapidly than before, but the human pancreatic cancer cells continued to proliferate at their normal pace.

“This is a relatively small sample, but you could take this to mean that not every cell in the body is as sensitive to loss of aspartate production as others,” Sullivan says. “Acquiring aspartate may be a metabolic limitation for only a subset of cancers, since aspartate can be produced via a number of different pathways, not just through asparagine conversion.”

When the researchers tried to slow tumor growth using the antidiabetic metformin, the cells expressing gpASNase1 remained unaffected — confirming Sullivan’s prior suspicion that metformin slows tumor growth specifically by impeding cellular respiration and suppressing aspartate production.

“Our initial finding connecting metformin and proliferation was very serendipitous,” he says, “but these most recent results are a clear proof of concept. They show that decreasing aspartate levels also decreases tumor growth, at least in some tumors. The next step is to determine if there are other ways to more intentionally target aspartate synthesis in certain tissues and improve our current therapeutic approaches.”

Although the efficacy of using metformin to treat cancer remains controversial, these findings indicate that one means to target tumors would be to prevent them from accessing or producing nutrients like aspartate to make new cells.

“Although there are many limitations to cancer cell proliferation, which metabolites become limiting for tumor growth has been poorly understood,” says Kivanc Birsoy, the Chapman-Perelman Assistant Professor at Rockefeller University. “This study identifies aspartate as one such limiting metabolite, and suggests that its availability could be targeted for anti-cancer therapies.”

Birsoy is a former postdoc in professor of biology David Sabatini’s lab, who authored a paper published in the same issue of Nature Cell Biology, identifying aspartate as a major growth limitation in oxygen-deprived tumors.

“These companion papers demonstrate that some tumors in vivo are really limited by the chemical processes that require oxygen to get the aspartate they need to grow, which can affect their sensitivity to drugs like metformin,” Vander Heiden says. “We’re beginning to realize that understanding which cancer patients will respond to which treatments may be determined by factors besides genetic mutations. To really get the full picture, we need to take into account where the tumor is located, its nutrient availability, and the environment in which it lives.”

The research was funded by an NIH Pathway to Independence Award, the American Cancer Society, Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology Fund, the National Science Foundation, a National Institutes of Health Ruth Kirschstein Fellowship, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Faculty Scholar Award, Stand Up to Cancer, Lustgarten Foundation, Ludwig Center at MIT, the National Institutes of Health, and MIT’s Center for Precision Cancer Medicine.

Restricting a key cellular nutrient could slow tumor growth syndicated from https://osmowaterfilters.blogspot.com/

[hudsonespie]

Top 10 Must-Read Maritime Novels

In the world of literature, many fiction writers are known for blending facts with fantasies in such a way that their readers do not lose their perspective. Each and every author has his or her own style of writing which has kept their readers hooked and waiting – sometimes months and years on end.

The domain of fiction includes literary works, in different genres, which deal with various aspects of human life, from love to tragedy and life to death. Among these, the marine domain is an area that not many authors have chartered, but the ones that have done it, have done so with great skill and aplomb. Known as Nautical fiction, this category of works tells stories of life at sea, explaining the complex human relationship with the sea and its uncertainties.

Detailed below are ten such wonderful penmanship revolving around the domain of oceans and its immense vastness. These books have been greatly appreciated by readers across the world and are a must-read for those working at the sea.

1. Moby Dick:

Written by American novelist Herman Melville in the mid-1850s, Moby Dick is considered to be a classic book which D. H. Lawrence once described as “the greatest book of the sea ever written.” Moby Dick or The Whale tells the story of the obsessive quest of Captain Ahab of the whaler Pequod for revenge on Moby Dick, the albino sperm whale that on the previous whaling voyage destroyed his vessel and bit off his leg at the knee. The author has put the novel in the first-person point of view of Ishmael, whose character is shown to be that of a whaler. The book combines the aspect of revenge, orthodoxy and the then-vintage profession of whaling for ambergris. More than just a story of adventure, this masterpiece of Melville narrates a struggle between good and evil. Moreover, this works thrills readers when realising that a good part of the material of this book was drawn from Melville’s own experiences as a seaman aboard whaling ships.

2. The Old Man And the Sea:

The Old Man and the Sea, written by legendary American writer Ernest Hemingway, tells a relentless, agonising battle of an old Cuban fisherman with a giant marlin far out in the Gulf Stream. With his simple and brilliant language, the writer narrates the patience and determination of the fisherman, Santiago, in his solitary struggle against his catch after days of unluckiness in the sea. After 84 days-long string of bad luck, a big Marlin takes hold of the line, however, leaving Santiago incapable of handling his catch because of its size. After three days of struggle in the sea, Santiago reaches shore only to see that his efforts were in vain. Beyond a thrilling tale, the novel talks about the battle of humans with the environment and even a fight against our own doubts. The short novel, published in 1952, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1953 and acted as an important work in Hemingway winning the Nobel Prize in literature in 1954.

3. The Perfect Storm: 

A creative nonfiction work based on the “1991 Perfect Storm” that hit North America between October 28 and November 4, The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea qualifies as a real-life thriller. Written by Sebastian Junger in 1997, the book explores the impact of a massive storm that was caused by the freak meeting of two weather fronts through the story of a trawler, the Andrea Gail, and its six-man crew abroad. Its main component can be regarded as the perfect combination of incorporating a real-life incident with the author’s re-creation of the resultant happenings. Sebastian Junger’s thoughts flow clearly and at no point in time would readers feel like keeping the book aside. Andrea Gail is immortalised in the hearts and minds of readers across the world, thanks to Mr. Junger literary contribution. The book was made into a movie of the same title in 2000 by director Wolfgang Petersen.

4. Hornblower Series:

A series of 10 books written by C.S. Forester offers a fictionalized history of the Royal Navy during the Napoleanic era. The books depict the life of a newly commissioned seaman, named Horatio Hornblower, during the harsh marine times of the Napoleonic War. As Horatio climbs up the vessel hierarchy, from midshipman to Lord, he meets and interacts with various kinds of people who add to his adventures. For readers, the books work as a window into history because of the outstanding details appears in these books. Through this singular series, according to critics, C.S. Forrester has contributed his own uniqueness to the confluence of fact and fiction.

5. Deadly Straits:

R.E. McDermott’s first novel, Deadly Straits, is built around the context of marine terrorism and piracy as the name suggests, and justifies its title with a fast-paced plot, which is disturbingly plausible. This maritime thriller, published in 2013, tells the story of a marine engineer named Tom Dugan, who becomes collateral damage in the War on Terror. With his years of experience in the marine industry, the author could make the characters in the novel entirely familiar for those who have spent time in the marine industry. However, what adds to the book’s specialty is the fact that the author is able to put into written context, his imagination for the audience – especially for those who might not be that well-versed in the marine aspect. For those who love sequels, Deadly Straits sets up the right tone for a potential sequel, though it is unsure whether the author is planning to write one or not.

6. Shogun:

Penned by James Clavell in 1975, Shōgun is a maritime novel set in Japan around 1600 and tells the story of a bold English sailor who encountered two people who were to change his life – a warlord with his own quest for power and beautiful woman torn between two ways of life – after his ship was blown ashore in Japan. The novel talks about a real-life person who rose to popularity amidst really troubling waters from the perspective of a Westerner. This unique confluence of an imaginary Western character meeting and understanding the larger-than-life Oriental hero defines the book as one of the all-time marine classics. Shōgun, the first novel of Clavell’s Asian Saga, a series of six novels written by the author between 1962 and 1993, is an enjoyable epic despite the complex plot. Shōgun was a major best-seller as it had sold 15 million copies worldwide by 1990.

7. The North Water

The North Water Ian McGuire’s The North Water, which was published in 2016, is a brilliant novel that tells the story of a group of men abroad a nineteenth-century whaling ship sets sail for the Arctic. The Irish ex-army surgeon Patrick Sumner, an opium addict, joins as a surgeon on the whaling ship only to meet more villainous and unfortunate people, including the most vicious Henry Drax, on board during the voyage. With sharp, cinematic details of violence, cruelty and the awful reality of whale-killing, McGuire takes his readers along with the whaling ship, the Volunteer, to the cold waters of Arctic. Confirming its brilliance, The North Water was included in the Man Booker Prize 2016 longlist and The New York Times’ 10 Best Books of 2016.

8. Aubrey–Maturin series

British novelist Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey–Maturin series, a sequence of over 20 nautical historical novels, is another sea saga of the Napoleonic Wars. Published between 1969 and 1999, the story of the novels is set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. The novels are built around the friendship of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin, the English naval captain, and the Irish–Catalan physician, respectively. Often described as the best historical novels ever written, O’Brian’s works offers a detailed depiction of 19th-century life and many among this series reached The New York Times Best Seller list. The last and unfished novel in the series was published four years after the demise of O’Brian in 2000.

9. The Shadow-Line

Written in 1915, The Shadow-Line of Polish-British writer Joseph Conrad is an autobiographical short novel. One of the masterpieces of Conrad, the novel portrays the life of a young new sea captain at a crossroads in his life.  The story moves through a succession of crises- the turbulent waters, the crew suffering from fever and seemingly haunted ship- the new commander faces. Notable for its dual narrative structure, the fictionalized account of the owner’s own experience as a young captain treats readers with subtle style of narration that filled with suspense.

10. Captain Blood

Known as one of the greatest adventure novels of all time, Rafael Sabatini’s Captain Blood is a tale of swashbuckling adventure.  In this classic naval fiction, Sabatini tells the story of Irish physician Peter Blood, a former sailor and soldier, who wrongly convicted of treason. Escaping the hangman’s noose, Blood ends up being the most feared pirate captain on the Spanish Main. Alongside the adventures of Blood, the layer of a strong romance makes this an excellent page turner. As a continuation to this novel, the author has written fifteen more short stories set during Blood’s pirate career. In 1935, the novel was adapted into a film in the same title by Michael Curtiz.

Over to you..

Do you know any other maritime/seafaring/marine novel that can be added to this list?

Let’s know in the comments below.

Disclaimer: The authors’ views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of Marine Insight. Data and charts, if used, in the article have been sourced from available information and have not been authenticated by any statutory authority. The author and Marine Insight do not claim it to be accurate nor accept any responsibility for the same. The views constitute only the opinions and do not constitute any guidelines or recommendation on any course of action to be followed by the reader.

The article or images cannot be reproduced, copied, shared or used in any form without the permission of the author and Marine Insight. 

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[michaelbartram]

Illusion (earlier chapters below in reverse order beginning with Prologue)

Chapter 6

 After lunch, though there was plenty of time, sex was out. He had pushed his luck by the windmills, reacted like a baby and got slapped down. Now he must convey repentance and manly patience.

They agreed on another walk. It was unexciting but unless they were to go in search of ‘Victorian’ activities – at lunch they had heard mention of ‘botanising’ and Scottish dancing, equally unappealing to both of them – there was little else. For his part Claudio was happy to keep Felicia away from the crowd. There was bound to be someone ogling her or whispering coarse comments. This was without his particular worry concerning Paulus.

Claudio hoped that in the days to come they would get into a rhythm of regular love-making. True, this had been absent from their lives of late due to stress and disharmony. But Claudio believed that under the dual influence of Arcadia’s atmosphere and Felicia’s availability, they would have sex perhaps as often when they first met. This would relax him. His touchiness would ease and he would consider joining in with whatever was on offer at Arcadia.

As they emerged from the house they saw someone heading along the poplar avenue.

‘That’s the bearded Samuel,’ said Claudio.

‘So it is.’

Claudio snapped his fingers. ‘Bright but earnest! On the journey here, so much ignored by Sabatini in favour of the pretentious Elena.’

‘She may be pretentious but I saw you looking at her.’

‘When?’

‘When she was reading in the alcove. You were dreaming of sniffing her sheets.’

His eyes were cold. ‘So you’re a mind-reader, Felicia, on top of your other talents.’

‘I can read your mind.’

They strolled on towards the avenue. She pulled him to her and squeezed his hand. ‘Come on,’ she said, ‘I’m just having a laugh.’

With no plan of their own they found themselves following Samuel. Soon he was moving far away, just a shadow nearing the end of the avenue. Suddenly he was gone.

‘He’s turned off,’ said Claudio.

They walked along the avenue, which was bordered on one side by a field, on the other by a wood. The lake was some way off ahead. They reached the point where Samuel had disappeared. A path through the woods could just be made out.

‘He must have gone in there. Let’s follow him.’ Claudio led the way and they set off along the path. Creaking branches and birdsong echoed through the leafy gloom. They emerged into a clearing. On the other side they saw Samuel. He was rooted beneath a cliff which formed one wall of a defile. Claudio and Felicia crossed the clearing. The true character of the uneven vertical surface became clear.

‘Mierda…’ Felicia breathed. ‘Skulls.’

There were too many to count, stretching the length of the defile and up to the level of the bushes sprouting from the tops of the cliff opposite. A vast panel of cavernous eyes, lopsided noses and teeth-crammed mouths. Felicia stepped forward and ran her fingers over one of the faces.

‘Mierda,’ she repeated.

Claudio too was taken aback. ‘I once saw something like this. They were piled against a wall in rows. In a monastery. The skulls of dead monks.’

‘This is different,’ said Samuel. ‘These are people sacrificed. The gods had to be fed with human blood or they wouldn’t keep the world going. It was a privilege to be sacrificed.’

‘Perhaps that’s why they’re laughing.’ said Felicia.

‘Laughing?’ said Claudio.

She fingered the skull again, fondly it seemed to Claudio. ‘Well, smiling anyway.’

‘You’re smiling, Felicia. Why are you smiling at the skull?’

‘This one reminds me of someone.’

Folding his arms Claudio surveyed the entire wall. ‘I’m impressed. I know little about pre-Columbian South America. Europe is more my thing. But I can see that whatever the religious dimension, this is a work of geometry and art. To make the rows utterly regular a stone’s been cut precisely to size, to fill each gap between the skulls. It’s astounding.’

Samuel nodded in agreement.

Felicia having moved away to perch on a rock, Claudio tried to talk to Samuel but he wasn’t friendly. He busied himself with looking further at the skulls, finally glanced at his watch and said, ‘I’ve got to go. Scottish dancing at 5.30. The teacher’s from Inverness.’

‘Very well,’ said Claudio. ‘We’ll see you later.’

With no further eye-contact, Samuel sped off. Claudio went over to Felicia.

‘Who did it remind you of then?’ he asked.

‘What?’

‘The skull. It reminded you of somebody.’

‘Oh… that… Just someone I used to know.’

‘Who was that?’

‘A guy who led me astray!’

‘I didn’t know you’d been led astray.’ It was so much a part of his thinking that she was permanently and eternally ‘astray’ that he was surprised to hear himself say this.

‘I think you did,’ she said.

‘Well, not by man with a face like a skull anyway. You told me about…’

He named one or two men she had mentioned in their early days together whose names he had never forgotten even though he had written them off as scruffy boys.

‘No, not one of them. This one was older. Anyway…’

‘What was this man’s name, the one who led you astray and looked like a skull?’

She shifted. ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘No, but I‘d like to know anyway.’

‘As long as you promise to not go on about him.’

‘Sure,’ he said.

‘Leman.’

‘Leman who?’

‘Everyone just called him Leman.’

‘Maybe Leman was his surname.’

‘I never knew,’ she said. ‘Anyway Claudio, let’s go back. The skulls are starting to freak me now it’s getting dark.’ She got up off the rock and started across the clearing. ‘Are you coming?’

He was so perturbed by this exchange that as they left the skulls he omitted to do something he would otherwise have done. In the murk, at the last moment, he noticed (as it were without noticing) that at the far end of the skulls was a protrusion, a lever, by the look of it. When he thought about it afterwards it seemed strange that Samuel had not seen this and given it a pull.

He himself would definitely return soon and pull that lever. Surely there was a door and, behind the skulls, a cave maybe.

[zillowcondo]

10 Things You Will Be Thankful You Never Did

So much of living well is focused on what we do, and so often we are reminded that the only regrets we will have are the things we do not do. In context, the later is certainly correct as is the former as in order to build a life we enjoy living, we must be an active participant.

However, there are instances in which inaction is the best decision you will ever make. In other words, not choosing the following 10 things will be the best thing you can do to live a full life to be proud of upon reflection.

While some of the lessons below may become clear after we make the temporary mistake of considering them, or unfortunately partaking, my most significant aha moments have come the first time I heeded the advice below. The feeling you will have sometimes minutes, other times hours and even days after you do not take action is an ecstatic high of relief that is immeasurable.

Why?

Because when we choose not to send the angry email, refuse to be cynical about love and choose to keep striving forward instead of dwelling in the past, that is when the boss offers the compliment or the promotion, that is when an unexpected encounter takes place with an individual that you immediately are curious to know more about, and that is precisely that is when the doors that had remained closed begin to open.

Believe it or not, sometimes it is what we don’t do that makes a world of a difference on the overall quality of our lives. Yes, we must take the initiative, we must get our hands dirty when it comes to learning and trying new things, but sometimes the best thing is to exercise our willpower, take a deep breath and not do what we would most certainly regret later. Below are ten things you will not regret. In other words, don’t do the following, and in hindsight you will be full of ecstasy that you didn’t have to learn what not to do from experience.

  Don’t . . . 

1. Send the letter you wrote or the thoughts you considered sharing that were inspired by rash anger, hurt or frustration

“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape a hundred days of sorrow.” —Chinese Proverb

While I would suggest writing the letter or airing your thoughts to yourself, let it end there. Journaling helps tremendously, writing the letter and then ripping it up does as well. Sometimes we just need to make sense of why we feel angry, hurt or upset because often we just feel a particular feeling spontaneously and we don’t take the time to reflect upon it. When we take the time to do so, we can discover our role in unconsciously creating the environment that has caused us pain, and move forward in a manner that is more productive to render a different outcome next time.

And even if we do come to recognize that we must speak to a particular person about an issue that is bothering us, when we do it from a place of contemplation and rationality rather than emotional upheaval, we are able to speak with composure, clarity and reach a far better outcome that we won’t regret.

2. Eat/drink the entire box/carton/bottle (unless it’s water)

Now this may sound obvious, but sometimes giving ourselves a simple rule even on our worst of days keeps us from making an obviously bad decision.

3. Give up on your dream

“It’s not what your are, it’s what you don’t become that hurts.” —Oscar Levant

As the world keeps progressing, new paths toward success and contentment materialize. Individuals find avenues no one ever knew existed or thought would be possible. There in lies the hope to always hang onto even when your dreams seem completely dashed. The first test of dashed dreams is to determine how badly you want what you seek; the second is to see how creative you can be.

There is no doubt your journey will be different than others, so refuse to believe that your dream is not possible. I do not know that, you do not know that, thus the world cannot possibly know that either.

4. Hang on to people who don’t love you, don’t respect you, or  don’t want to see your beautiful self

When we are young, it is hard to have perspective involving the future that lays before us. It is hard to believe that more significant, beautiful opportunities and people will cross our paths so long as we keep striving forward, but they will. Therefore, as you journey on your path, let go without regret of any of the individuals listed above. After all, when you let go of what is not working, what is holding back or holding you down, you give yourself the space to expand, grow and welcome new individuals into your life.

5. Turn away from an enticing opportunity just because you don’t know how it will work out

“Regret of neglected opportunity is the worst hell that a living soul can inhabit.” —Rafael Sabatini

If we knew how everything in life would work out, the decision making would be easy, but we don’t, so it isn’t. Decision-making, especially when it comes to what we care most deeply about is hard when we don’t know how it will unfold. And while other opportunities will come along, each opportunity you pass up that truly grabs your attention, passion and curiosity, is to let go of a growth moment. A moment of boosting your realization of what you are capable of, of realizing what the world is capable of offering you if only you had the courage to try.

6. Assume everyone is smarter than you or conversely, you are smarter than everyone

I have a feeling you default to one or the other more often. I certainly know which one I used to default to commonly, and it immediately established how I would speak or present myself. Needless to say, when you see others behave in a manner that indicates they are assuming one or the other, it is off putting. Either it is their lack of confidence and insecurity that is a turn off or it is their arrogance that is off putting. Neither are a good idea and will not serve anybody well.

Instead, no matter what company you may be keeping, listen, speak less and when you do, be aware of your audience as you have had some time to observe and get to know them. In so doing, you are not trying to assess who is smarter than whom, but rather determine how you can contribute or what you may be able to learn that you didn’t already know.

7. Forget to wear sunscreen

For an entire host of reasons protect yourself from the sun. First, find sunscreen that covers as promised (these two were recently highly recommended by Consumer Reports as well as being the two I use daily when I am exposed in any way to the sun: La Roche Posay and Coppertone WaterBabies); then remember to wear it even if the sun is hiding behind the clouds.

8. Live in the past

If we use our past to try to predict the future, we limit the quality of life we can build for ourselves. Whether positive or negative, our past did happen, and we lived through it. Yes, we are a product of our past, but our past does not predict the future that will unfold before us. However, if we only assume based on what we know, the beauty that is waiting to be trusted, appreciated and noticed will never be unearthed, at least not by us.

Make peace with your past, decide what worked and what didn’t and devise a path to move forward, stepping out of the defaults that no longer serve you and trusting that you will successfully navigate the unknowns.

9. Compare your journey to another

Celebrate rather than compete. Applaud rather than criticize. Whenever we choose to compare we are doing so ignorantly. We cannot know the full story behind the other individuals of which we are placing our lives beside, and likewise, they cannot know ours. Therefore, be inspired, become aware and choose to stay in your lane, focused on your priorities, appreciating the scenery of others’ lives as you or they pass by and enjoy the journey.

10. Stop believing in the power and magic of love

First of all, believing in love begins within you. Begin to cultivate a life you love living, begin giving love in forms of how you live your life – your actions, your attitude, your strength to continue to find hope even in the most frustrating times – because life behaves very much like a boomerang. What we give out, will in some form or fashion return to us. We may not know when or how, we may not even realize it immediately when it does return, but it does – the good and the not so good. So why not continue to put good out into the world? Why not examine your life and see what is working and is fueled by love and what isn’t? What not release what isn’t? Why not then become more available to slowly letting down the walls? Why not take a risk? Why not have hope but not expectation? Because when we have expectation and something doesn’t occur when we think it should, we get in our own way. But when we have hope, the timeline is blank but we are allowing ourselves to be receptive so that when it arrives, we will be fully present and appreciative.

Love is indeed magical. Love is truly capable of the unexpected and perhaps even the impossible. So do yourself a beautiful favor and refuse to stop believing.

I wanted to end on the last one because in many ways it is an active choice to continue to believe, hope and have faith. And I think with each of these “don’ts”, is an undercurrent of these three concepts. Because by choosing not to do something, we are shifting to the understanding that temporary relief, or perceived relief, will not be as gratifying or fulfilling as the effect of taking a step back and choosing more wisely.

The good news is each one of these “don’t”s, if we continue to walk away from them, will eventually become a habit and we will no longer need to remember and will be living a more beautiful and enriching life because of what we didn’t do every single day.

SIMILAR POSTS FROM THE PAST YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

~The Best Learned Trait We Can Possess: Willpower

~A Powerful Couple: Boundaries & Vulnerability

~Why Not . . . Find Your Personal Power?

10 Things You Will Be Thankful You Never Did published first on http://ift.tt/2pewpEF

[asromaworld]

Emerson’s interview with Leggo

You've gone from the Porto disaster to an outstanding performance against Genoa. What's changed? “This is who I really am. I had a bad game against Porto – well, two – but it can happen to anyone. If Roma wanted me, if  Sabatini signed me and if Spalletti picks me, I must have something about me.” The coach clearly believes in you. “I got on fine with Rudi Garcia but he opted for other players when he picked the team. No one's going to be happy about that. With Spalletti it was different right from the start: he always showed he believed in me and that's important to a footballer.” When did you get the feeling you'd turned the corner? “After the match against Palermo.” Palermo were clearly in your destiny. And to think that [Palermo owner Maurizio] Zamparini wrote you off saying you didn't have the character... “Those words of his hurt. Perhaps he's changed his mind now...” Is there an area of your game you know you need to improve? “You have to keep improving all the time.” What about your heading? How's that? “Yes, you're right. I do need to work on that.” Perhaps you could ask Federico Fazio for a few pointers... “He's amazing. Our commander. When I see the ball going his way I'm relaxed. In any case, I need to improve my tactical awareness too.” One area where you have no problem is shooting, although we haven't seen that many efforts from you so far. “You're right. I should try my luck more. The coach is always telling me to do that and Sabatini too.” Do you still speak to him? “Sure, he's the one who wanted me at Roma. He often texts me. He's like a footballing father to me.”

But Sabatini also signed Mario Rui in your position and he's fit again now. What does that mean? “Mario is a great player and a great guy. He's always offering me advice and helping me. Roma need to have options in every position. He'll get his chance.” Which of your team-mates have you been impressed by? “ Totti defies classification. He's out of this world and there's nothing more to say. I didn't know quite how good  Nainggolan was and I've been surprised by  Paredes' ability.” What do you need to catch up with Juventus? “Not much, in my opinion. It's just the small details that make the difference and we saw that when we played them in Turin. We're still in the running for the title and we have the reverse fixture to play.” What about the Europa League and Coppa Italia? “They're both real targets of ours. We want to win something.” Have you ever played with the Curva Sud full? “Only as opponent, unfortunately. Hopefully I'll see what it's like to have the fans behind us before long.” Have you ever thought about leaving? “Lots of things crossed my mind when I was sad. But as I've said to my family, I left Brazil to come here and be a success.” You didn't come by yourself though, did you? “My girlfriend Isadora is a massive help to me. She's a fitness freak and she gives me dietary advice too. We love it here in Rome, going around in the centre. It's nice to see how passionate the fans are – they're even more so since the derby!

In the summer we go to the beach, to the Playa del Mar in Torvaianica, which is this little Brazilian corner. Gerson comes along with us too – he's a friend. Give him time and you won't be disappointed.”